EcoFlight Tour over Black Mesa
Friday, September 22, 2023, a Tó Nizhóní Ání team member and other local Black Mesa residents joined EcoFlight for a tour of the western and northwest areas of the Black Mesa region. The tour began at the Tuba City Airport in Tuba City, AZ and traveled up Blue Canyon east of Tuba City to the western side of Big Mountain and arrived in Forest Lake Chapter community. From there the tour continued over to the Kayenta Mine and toward the community of Chilchinbeto, AZ, making the trip back to the Kayenta Mine and Black Mesa mine. From the mine sites the plane traveled over Cactus Valley, southwest of the mine sites, following the Moenkopi Wash back to Blue Canyon. Lastly, flying over the town of Tuba City and returning back to the Tuba City Airport.
The purpose of the tour was to capture aerial photos and videos of the Kayenta Mine reclamation, the proposed Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project (North and East proposed sites), and the primary headwaters of the Little Colorado River on Black Mesa (Dinnebito and Moenkopi Wash). Along with the media content, the people on this tour were able to learn a little bit more about the issues we face here in the Black Mesa region. Ahéhee’ (Thank you) Gary of EcoFlight for being our pilot and thank you Wilda and Troy for taking the time to join us on this tour.
For more information on EcoFlight, visit their website at www.ecoflight.org and view their aerial photos from past flights.
